1) Two words: Joe Hart

It is easy to get a little carried away in the immediate aftermath of a game but the question that was posed to Roberto Mancini less than a hour after the final whistle, when the Manchester City manager was asked whether he had ever seen a better goalkeeping performance, still feels valid the following morning. Mancini's English is still developing but the Italian picked the right word when he described Hart's display as "incredible". The England international made eight superb saves to frustrate a brilliant Borussia Dortmund side that ran riot at the Etihad, slicing through City's defence time and again only to be frustrated by the man that Mancini had told a fortnight earlier to "stay in goal and make saves". Hart did that and more against Dortmund. Now it is time for Mancini to earn his money. City, without a clean sheet since they won at Newcastle in May, are an accident waiting to happen when they are without the ball. SJ

2) There could be pain coming from Ukraine for Chelsea

There has been much gushing about the growing Brazilian influence at Chelsea but their next two ties in Group E pit them against a team who may just be able to out-samba them. The Brazilian quartet of Willian, Alex Teixeira, Luiz Adriano and Fernandinho were superb as Shakhtar Donetsk gave Juventus the run-around in the lopsided draw in Italy on Tuesday and they look well equipped to pose Chelsea plenty of problems too. Given that Nordsjaelland, despite their skill and valour, look likely to finish the group with zero points, Chelsea could yet be made pay for letting a two-goal lead slip in their first game. PD

3) Ronaldo has cheered up … we think

If Cristiano Ronaldo is still down in the dumps, his second hat-trick in four days should have given him a small boost. He has now scored 12 goals in 10 games this season (Lionel Messi has a mere 10 in 10) but it's not just about the numbers. Wednesday night's hat-trick contained a poacher's tap-in, a long-range finish and a burst of pace followed by an exquisite chip. José Mourinho will also be pleased with the contribution of Kaká, who you may remember being half decent way back in the mists of time. TL

4) Lennon has inspired a mental revolution at Celtic

It is annoying that commentators kept claiming that Celtic had not won away in Europe's top competition since 1986 – what foul strain of snootiness decrees that victories before the group stages suddenly don't count? - but it is still true that Celtic have generally been fodder away from home in recent times. The only really plausible explanation for the discrepancy between their formidable home form and feeble away displays is mental weakness. But the assured win in Moscow confirmed that Lennon has banished the inferiority complex that Celtic used to pack in their baggage. Following the wins in the qualifying rounds at Helsinki and Helsingborg, this, a couple of defensive lapses notwithstanding, was another accomplished performance in which Celtic showed sound balance, energy, canniness and moments of class to earn a fully deserved victory. PD

5) Life after Van Persie for Arsenal

The sale of Robin van Persie has done Arsenal little harm, even if he is thriving at Manchester United. Two goalless games at the start of the season seemed gloomy portents for Arsène Wenger's team but there may be a broader strength to the lineup as the restructuring continues. Arsenal have scored 21 times in their last seven matches. The team is far from perfect but it is certainly not toothless, as the 3-1 victory over Olympiakos showed. Aaron Ramsey found the net for the first time since February. There have also been wins away to Liverpool and Montpellier, as well as a 1-1 draw at Manchester City. KM

6) Goncharenko will be in business for a long time

Unlike his hapless Grange Hill name-sake, 'Gonch' is reaping lavish reward for his enterprise and looks destined to go on to even greater things, as opposed to beatings from Mauler McCaul. Since taking charge of Bate Borisov in 2007 at the tender age of 30, Viktor Goncharenko has overseen seen steady annual improvement: Bate have won their domestic league four years in a row and qualified for the Champions League group stages three times: this season they yielded their first win at that stage when they trounced Lille 3-1 and on Tuesday they pulled off their finest feat to date, beating Bayern Munich thanks to swift and deadly counterattacking that should make them a menace to any opponent. If Russian teams are flunking so far, it is partially because they do not have managers as shrewd as this Belarussian. PD

7) Málaga are building up steam

Málaga are currently third in La Liga, behind only Barcelona and a Falcao-inspired Atlético Madrid. Their form in the Champions League isn't too shabby either. Isco was the star last month when they brushed aside Zenit St Petersburg but they showed they're not a one-man team on Wednesday night against Anderlecht. Eliseu scored two brilliant goals, including a long-range strike that travelled so fast there would have been a nasty injury if anyone had managed to get in the its way. Málaga aren't just an attacking force though: in four games (including the qualifier against Panathinaikos) they are yet to concede a goal. TL

8) Ferguson is still trying to learn

Sir Alex Ferguson's capacity to adapt is widely hailed as the key to his enduring success. And the septuagenarian is at it again as he attempts to mend Manchester United's ailing European ways. Having been outplayed by everyone last term in both the Champions League and the Europa League, and even by Galatasaray in the first match of this campaign, Ferguson tried a wingless formation on Tuesday night that was virtually unprecedented for United. Antonio Valencia, Nani and Ashley Young were all left out as Ferguson packed the centre in an effort to secure greater control of an area where United have been second best too often. It worked insofar as United enjoyed the lion's share of possession and the lack of width did not prove too costly. The big question is will it work against better opponents than Cluj. PD

9) Some of the finishing this season has been ridiculous

As Jeff Stelling pointed out, there have been 93 goals so far in the Champions League this season, the highest total in 10 years. It's easy to see why. While the group stages can often be stodgy, some of the finishing this year has been a delight to watch. On Wednesday night we were treated to three chipped finishes (in ascending order of cheek: Aaron Ramsey, Cristiano Ronaldo and Eliseu); a curling, raking shot across the keeper (Porto's James Rodríguez) and an amazing bicycle kick (Karim Benzema). Roll on the highlights shows. TL

10) There are still gems to be discovered

In this era of media saturation where the toils of the mainstream organs are augmented by every fan and his blog, it often seems like we know far more than we need to about many clubs and players (and many other subjects). Over-exposure is rife and, conversely, it is rare that a player makes it to the Champions League group stages without us having already been force-fed large helpings of hype about him. This week, however, several such players emerged if not quite from obscurity than at least from the relative shade: Nordsjaelland's 21-year-old centre-back Jores Okore put in such a superb performance against Chelsea that he seems certain to star at this level for years to come; the same can be said of Bate Borisov full-back Dzyanis Palyakow, whose constant raids down the right were as terrifying to Bayern Munich as they were thrilling to fans; and it is surely only a matter of time before this little-known Georgios Samaras character marauding around for Celtic is snapped up by some billionaire-backed elite club, such as Manchester City. PD